Electronic systems can include audio subsystems. Audio subsystems produce sound when connected to a speaker or headphone speaker and can be found in portable electronic devices such as cellular phones, MP3 players, handheld gaming systems, and tablet or laptop computers. It can be useful to perform a calibration test on the speaker load to determine a power level to the load. A calibration test can also be used to detect cross talk between speakers in headphones. However, such a test can result in tones or clicks that are annoying to the user, or can lead the user to believe the device is not operating properly.